The tools of the sushi chef are refined over centuries of tradition. The hocho is the traditional sushi chef's knife, with the yanagiba being a long, single-bevel slicing knife specifically designed for sashimi. Single-bevel knives make cleaner cuts that do not bruise delicate fish, and the cutting technique is a single, smooth pull cut without any sawing motion. Angled cuts increase surface area, enhancing both visual appeal and flavor. Typical nigiri uses about 15 to 20 grams of seasoned rice topped with a fish slice of roughly 10 to 12 grams, thin enough to drape over the rice.
Rice handling has its own dedicated equipment. The hangiri is a wide wooden tub used for cooling sushi rice, and the shamoji is a flat wooden spatula for handling the rice without crushing the grains. Sushi makers keep a small bowl of tezu, a vinegar-and-water hand-dipping liquid, and wet their hands with it using the spotted bamboo hand technique to prevent rice from sticking to their fingers. For rolling, the makisu is a bamboo rolling mat, often covered with plastic wrap when making inside-out rolls to keep it clean.
Beyond basic preparation, sushi chefs employ several refinement techniques. Kombujime is the practice of curing fish between sheets of kombu to infuse it with subtle umami. Yubiki is briefly blanching the surface of fish while leaving the inside raw. Aburi is searing the surface of nigiri with a torch or hot element before serving. Some fish, particularly tuna, gain depth with brief aging, a kind of umami breeding where enzymes deepen flavor over hours or days. These techniques all reflect a deep respect for ingredients, treating each fish with reverence as a core principle of Japanese cooking.